by Charlie Waite, ©2026
(Nov. 2, 2026) — Part 1
Author’s Note: My name is Charlie Waite. I am a freelance journalist and wanted to write an article about life as a homeless person in America. So, I went to live among them, and these are my experiences of typical life for a homeless person in various cities in America. This is Part 1 of that series.
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
It’s 9:26 p.m. on October 7, 2026 and I’ve been here almost an hour, backpack strapped on tight as I reached the public library on 400 South Street across from the City Hall building. The first thing I noticed was a trailer with a mast parked right outside. Atop the mast are several cameras including a facial recognition type. Like two frog eyes, it peers through the night watching anyone who passes by. I’ve already passed several Flock cameras, and nearly every building has surveillance cameras on its outside perimeters. My first impression is I’m in China, not America.
About 10 minutes pass and I hear what sounds like a low-flying prop plane. But it isn’t. I look up and notice the twin pair of white lights flashing synchronous with the one opposite. Two drones. Low flying and moving slowly in a course to directly intercept my location. A passerby, a homeless person, mentions to me that I cannot sit where I am, in front of the library. I inquire as to why and he informed me that the city designated the library as a “park.” You read that correctly, a park. So I grab my pack and start walking. The drones follow me approximately 100 feet above; Big Brother is watching and waiting to pounce.
I come across several more homeless and ask them why they’re out walking around so late. Some say the shelters are full, but all informed me that the city and the state have made it illegal for them to sleep anywhere outside.
[City No-Camping Law – Salt Lake City Code 15.08.080 CAMPING: “No person shall camp, lodge, make a fire or pitch a tent, fly, lean to, tarpaulin or any other type of camping equipment in any park except: 1. In cases of local emergency as declared by the Mayor of the City.” – Consolidated under Salt Lake City’s updated No Camping Ordinance which prohibits camping on any “public grounds” defined as any park, sidewalk, park strip, street, or other public property. Violation defaults to a Class B misdemeanor – up to $1,000 fine and/or up to 6 months in jail per SLC Council Staff Report 2026. See also South Salt Lake Ordinance: “It is unlawful and a public nuisance for any person or group of persons to establish any site for the purpose of human habitation without a special event permit… to camp, establish or occupy camping facilities, or use camping paraphernalia within the corporate limits of the city or any of the following areas: (A) Any public property, improved or unimproved, including, but not limited to, public streets and sidewalks, parks, open space and other property”]
I found what I thought was an acceptable spot to take off my pack, sit and have a cigarette. Shortly thereafter? What I took to be a police officer and as it turned out, was actually contract armed security, approached me and inquired as to why I was there on what is normally a planter next to a public sidewalk. I didn’t tell him my reason for being here in Salt Lake. I told him I needed the rest from my heavy pack and he told me, “You have one minute to get moving or you’re going to jail for loitering.”
[Corresponding City Ordinance for Two-Minute Stop and One-Minute to Move – Millcreek City Ordinance 26-14, Title 10, Chapter 32, 10.32.100 LOITERING ON SIDEWALK: “It is unlawful for any person to remain standing, lying or sitting on any sidewalk for a longer period than two (2) minutes, in such manner as to obstruct the free passage of pedestrians thereon, or wilfully to remain standing, lying or sitting thereon in said manner for more than one (1) minute after being requested to move by any police officer… Any violation of this chapter is a Class B misdemeanor.” This ordinance is enforced city-wide in the Salt Lake Valley under similar loitering provisions: Salt Lake City Code 11.12.080 and Utah Code 76-9-702 et seq]
An armed security officer in Salt Lake City apparently has the same authority as a police officer. And they are everywhere. They roam all over the city like a second police force and are fully equipped just like law enforcement. The only thing that comes to mind is a violation of posse comitatus.
Over the course of the weeks that have followed and my inquiries with police on the street, it became apparent there is a war being waged on people who have no ability to fight back.
Drugs and Crime
Those I spoke with do not wish to be identified, claiming that when this becomes public they fear retaliation by police, so their names have been changed for their protection.
Are there drugs here? Absolutely. Meth is the most prevalent choice and I’ve been asked several times a day, daily, if I had any “glitter” or “clear” which is street slang for methamphetamine. I’ve spoken with several of those homeless and asked two basic questions:
- “How did you become homeless?”
- “Why did you turn to drugs?”
The answers are usually the same. They usually answer the second question first, which then leads into the answer to the first question.
Most suffered some personal tragedy. One man told me he lost all hope after he lost his wife of 21 years and their only son in a car accident while he was at work. He never recovered from the loss and gave up hope. He simply quit going to work, lost his house, car and his entire life. He told me he turned to drugs to numb the emotional pain and so he could forget everything for even a short while. He’s 52 years old but looks to be close to 70.
I spoke with a very young homeless lady I’ll refer to as Jane Doe who appeared to be in her twenties, dragging a small cart behind her with everything she owns. I asked her how she ended up homeless and she said she lost her job and sought social services help. The process took too long and by the time anyone from government acted, she had been evicted and no one would hire her because she no longer had a fixed address. I asked her then if she used drugs and she responded she did if they were present but that she didn’t seek them out. I then asked if she ever had anyone try to take advantage of her or force themselves on her. Her response was, “The greatest dangers I deal with are the tweakers and the cops.”
I then asked, “What danger do the police pose?”
“Look around you, man. Don’t you see all the cameras? Haven’t you seen the drones? They search for us so they can lock us up, but they never do anything to help us get our lives back.”
This led me to ask her, “Would you jump at the opportunity to get your life back if it was offered to you?”
That was the question that hit her like a train. Her eyes filled with tears and she blurted out, “Who is gonna do that? There’s no hope of the cops or anyone helping any of us get our lives back and you’re new here so you don’t know how it is. I gave up hope a long time ago and now, I don’t care what happens to me. I have over eleven charges pending against me for riding the train without paying and for loitering. You’ll see. No one cares.” Then she wiped her eyes and grabbed her cart. “I’ve sat here long enough and the drones will find us. I have to go. You should go, too, and if you can get out of here, go.” Off she walked westbound on 400 South Street.
While walking around with my pack on, I noticed that those who aren’t homeless rarely if ever made eye contact or even acknowledge I existed. “Good morning; how are you?” I’d say in passing. Maybe one in fifty would even respond. They see a homeless person coming and they act like it’s COVID all over again. They try to get as far away from you while walking down the sidewalk.
Salt Lake City: the Capitol of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, one of the largest Christian organizations out there and yet I haven’t seen anyone from the church on the streets practicing what they preach. Same for the other religions.
[Psalm 41 verses 1 and 2 – KJV: “1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. 2. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.”]
October 5, 2026: I hid behind some bushes by a medical building just to catch some rest as police cars were patrolling non-stop, looking for any homeless person they could arrest for having paused from sleep deprivation. The two-minute rule.
There are charitable services but their resources are extremely limited and most food donated is expired because it’s prohibited to sell. The food in some instances acts like cash. For example, a beef stick might get you two cigarettes.
As for businesses in general, most are aligned with the police. “No Loitering” signs are so prevalent their visual frequency mirrors Big Pharma advertisements on the TV.
The one bastion of sanctuary the homeless seem to have where a few hours sleep is possible is the public library. As long as they don’t bother other patrons and don’t try to bathe in the bathrooms or put their feet on the furniture, they have a few brief hours of rest.
Rumor is that’s going to change soon as those in high places continue to wage war against them.
The Hunters and the Hunted
One thing this journalist never expected to see was the systemic use of military-type equipment to hunt down the poor and downtrodden.
A developer came in and wanted to build/renovate an area called “Rio Grande.” The city or state spent $70 million and utilized Blackhawk helicopters and draconian tactics to drive out or arrest as many homeless as they could. That was $70 million that could have been used to help these people have hope again. Instead, it was used to hunt them down and criminalize them so a developer could make a profit.
The jails and courts here are nothing more than institutions of human trafficking. “Pay us for your right to exist or be locked up” seems to be the effect of the laws as applied and enforced.
When researching the laws here in Utah regarding traveling on foot or trying to hitch a ride, I suddenly found myself in a position where leaving is severely restricted. The laws basically operate to kidnap a person once here unless you can pay to get out. The freedom to leave doesn’t appear to be available unless you pay to exercise “the right to move freely about the country.”
[Law Regarding Soliciting a Ride / Traveling on Foot – Utah Code 41-6a-1009 Use of roadway by pedestrians — Prohibited activities: “(4)(a) An individual may not engage in conduct that impedes or blocks traffic within any of the following: (i) an interstate system… (ii) a freeway… (iii) a state highway… (iv) a state route… (d) Conduct that impedes or blocks traffic may include: (i) loitering; (ii) demonstrating or picketing; (iii) distributing materials; (iv) gathering signatures; (v) holding signs; or (vi) soliciting rides, contributions, or other business.” Historical version: “A person may not sit, stand, or loiter on or near a roadway for the purpose of soliciting from the occupant of a vehicle: (a) a ride; (b) contributions; (c) employment…”]
[The Passenger Cases Citation – Smith v. Turner, 48 U.S. 283 (1849): “For all the great purposes for which the Federal government was formed, we are one people, with one common country. We are all citizens of the United States; and, as members of the same community, must have the right to pass and repass through every part of it without interruption, as freely as in our own States.” – Chief Justice Taney dissent quoted in Edwards v. California, 314 U.S. 160, Crandall v. Nevada 73 U.S. 35]
[The Slaughter-House Cases – 83 U.S. 36 (1873): First Supreme Court interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Held that the Privileges or Immunities Clause “only protects the legal rights that are associated with federal U.S. citizenship, not those that pertain to state citizenship” but recognized that the right to travel is a privilege of national citizenship. “The right to move freely from State to State was a right of national citizenship. As such, it was protected by the privileges and immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment against state interference.”]
[9th Amendment – U.S. Constitution: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Ratified December 15, 1791]
Kidnapping is a felony in every state, but apparently the State of Utah is more than willing to enact laws that effect exactly that by kidnapping Americans passing through and then hunting them for revenue.
This isn’t a third-world country dictatorship, but it sure seems to operate like one.
The Torture of Sleep Deprivation
What I have described is not just harassment. The constant, non-stop hunting of the homeless, in my experience, equates to one final act of tyrannical oppression. It has the calculated method, the self-evident effect, of a documented and condemned form of torture: forced sleep deprivation.
The intentional causing of sleep deprivation through fear of government reprisal has widely been regarded as a form of torture. It was a core technique used by the CIA in its black sites during the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. It is a violation of every American’s right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.
The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee’s Report on CIA Torture confirmed:
Methods included “sleep disruption, sleep deprivation to the point of hallucination… beating, binding in contorted stress positions, hooding, subjection to deafening noise” [Enhanced interrogation techniques – Wikipedia]
Some homeless here have informed me that any attempt to plead their cause to an officer or officers can, and has, resulted in the use of force and being taken to the ground.
Further reporting confirmed: “Sleep deprivation involved keeping detainees awake for up to 180 hours, usually standing or in stress positions, at times with their hands shackled above their heads” [U.S. Senate Report on CIA Torture – Wikipedia]. I see no difference here with the constant threat of arrest looming over their heads.
At COBALT, the Salt Pit black site in Afghanistan: “Four of the cells at the black site… had ‘high bars… to which prisoners can be secured.’ These four cells were designed specifically for sleep deprivation.” [Statewatch/Vice News CIA Reports]
This is what Salt Lake City is doing to its own citizens every single night. Two minutes. Move or go to jail. Drones overhead. No place to sleep. No way to leave. If this was done to a foreign detainee, we would call it what the Senate called it: torture. When it is done to a homeless American on 400 South, we call it “loitering enforcement.”
It is not enforcement. It is the hunting of Americans. Although Americans living in Salt Lake City walk about under the illusion of freedom, what this journalist has firsthand lived shows they’re really living in a prison. Every one of them, from the mass surveillance to the forced sleep deprivation to laws that effectively kidnap people passing through.” I highly doubt if any of these so-called Christians have ever bothered to read Psalms 41. If they have, they missed the part about how God favors the poor and what He will do to those who treat the poor as they’re treated in Salt Lake City.
Sources for torture background:
- Senate Torture Report – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Senate_report_on_CIA_torture
- Enhanced Interrogation Techniques – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_interrogation_techniques
- CIA Black Sites Documentation – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_site
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